NASA's research facility named after 'human computer' Katherine Johnson
Johnson's character was the protagonist of the film Hidden Figures that recounts her contributions to the United States' orbital space programme. Photo: NASA
(Web Desk) – Ninety nine-year-old Katherine Johnson one of NASA’s ‘human computers’ who helped plan the space mission involving an American astronaut orbiting the Earth for the first time, has opened a new research centre named in her honour.
The computers back in the days were disposed to technical glitches while the mathematics involved in the orbital mission was highly complex, and so, NASA’s human computers made the mission a success owning it to their swift calculations.
The key contribution of Katherine Johnson, and other African-American women to the United States’ orbital space programme was recounted in the film Hidden Figures, which gave recognition to the human computers’ work.
According to the Independent, as astronaut John Glenn was going through the preflight checklist – upon which his life depended, he insisted that Johnson double checked the calculations.
“If she says they’re good,” Johnson remembered Glenn saying, “then I’m ready to go.”
But, as Johnson was helping the US triumph over its Cold War adversary, racist laws were still widely enforced – the Civil Rights Act ending local and state segregation did not come into force until 1964.
She also had to overcome the sexist stereotype that women are inferior mathematicians to men.
But, at the opening of the Katherine G. Johnson Computational Research Facility in Hampton, Virginia, Johnson didn’t seem to get what all the fuss was about.
“You want my honest answer? I think they’re crazy,” she said, when asked about the decision to name the facility after her.
Octavia Spencer as Dorothy Vaughan, Taraji P. Henson as Katherine Johnson and Janelle Monae as Mary Jackson star in the critically acclaimed film about three talented mathematicians. Photo: Fox News
Terry McAuliffe, the governor of Virginia, said: “You have been a trailblazer. When I think of Virginia and the history of what we’ve gone through ... you’re at the top of that list.
“Thank goodness for the book and movie to come out, so people got to understand what this woman meant to our country. She really broke down the barriers.”
And David Bowles, director of NASA’s Langley Research Centre, added: “We’re here to honour the legacy of one of the most admired and inspirational people ever associated with NASA.
“I can’t imagine a better tribute to Mrs. Johnson’s character and accomplishments than this building that will bear her name.”
The keynote speaker at the opening ceremony was Margot Lee Shetterly, author of the book Hidden Figures, on which the film is based, whose central character was Johnson.
“We are living in a present that they willed into existence with their pencils, their slide rules, their mechanical calculating machines – and, of course, their brilliant minds,” the writer said.
Johnson had a fascination for numbers since her childhood in West Virginia, but said she never imagined where it would take her.
“I like the stars, and the stories we were telling, and it was a joy to contribute to the literature that was going to come out, but little did I think it would go this far,” said Johnson.
